Gender hot pot

Newly opened Apo Qiao Hot Pot Restaurant gives its hot pot a gender. The name Apo refers to grandma, and the hot pot here is said to originate from a countryside village that believes in different hot pot soups for the two genders.

Two special base soups are prepared for men, and two for women. The men's base soups are the red spicy one, and a white replenishing soup with matsutake, "abalone" mushroom, and "laverock" mushroom. The soup warms the body, dispels dryness, and helps to lower blood fat and cholesterol, and therefore is good for men, according to a restaurant waitress.

The women's base soups also have a spicy choice, with nourishing herbs, which is said to be great for boiling fish heads, accompanied by a special fish sauce with soy bean fragrance. The women's white base soup has a range of other mushrooms, including bamboo fungus, "chicken" fungus, and "pearl" fungus. These are said to aid weight loss and have a beautifying effect, according to the restaurant.